Tuesday, March 28, 2017

While marijuana legalization is making massive strides forward throughout the country, with a whopping eight states voting to legalize marijuana use for medical or recreational purposes in November's election, the movement to "legalize it" is facing resistance in Tennessee.

The Tennessee House of Representatives just approved a bill Thursday to repeal local ordinances approved by city councils in Nashville and Memphis last year that decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana, a seemingly promising foothold for marijuana legalization in a very politically and culturally conservative state.

Friday, March 10, 2017

“. . . It seems to me that a human being with the very best of intentions can do immeasurable harm, if he is immodest enough to wish to profit those whose spirit and will are concealed from him. . . .”― Nietzsche, 1885 letter

Monday, March 6, 2017

I just answered Seth Godin's call for good people interested in doing good work on upcoming projects. I've always admired and bought into Godin's philosophy 100%.

One question he asks on the form is:

Tell us about a charity or social cause you admire and support

I answered:

"Libertarianism-- no, not partisan hack libertarianism that always votes (R)-- but the cause that believes in peaceful solutions to social problems, and seeks to convince the world that only peaceful solutions are real solutions, and that change by blunt force trauma (the kind of change that governments typically favor because it's hardwired into their very nature) causes more and worse problems than it solves. Just ask the people of Iraq. Or the countless victims of the 40 year War on Drugs. Or the hungry people of Venezuela. Or or or..."

He also wrote:

If there's anything else you want to add, please do! (Let me know if we share a mutual friend, about what you hope to accomplish, about what your superpower is or a particular achievement...)

And I answered:

"I have a burning desire to be a giant of world historical significance. I aim at doing more for the world than the world does for me, although it is impossible because we stand on the shoulders of so many giants who have given such remarkable gifts to us. But I don't just want to be lucky that others were here, which I am. I want others to be lucky that I was here too."

Friday, March 3, 2017

In the never-ending fight / dance along the partisan line dividing the Republican and Democratic brands, each side adopts the tactics suited to its position at the moment, usually accompanied by a spectacular display of mass-amnesia on the part of the fierce partisans who always give their unqualified support to their party.

Thursday, March 2, 2017

At the bottom of this post, I'm going to link to what is probably the most important article you can share this year.

But first, here's proof of what Donald Trump really thinks about the Navy SEAL he honored in his first address to Congress...

Even Donald Trump's enemies in the media and the Democratic Party, who have been relentlessly, fever-pitch critical of everything about his candidacy and his short time in office, suddenly heaped praise, admiration, and respect for Donald Trump for comforting the dead soldier's wife on television and calling him a hero.

The entire four minutes of this grieving woman crying for her loss is very difficult to watch, and naturally stirs up a lot of emotion and empathy for her:

Of course, Donald Trump's use of her emotions and ours as we watch is exploitative, as at least a few commentators are willing to point out, despite the completely false accusations that doing so is somehow disrespectful.

This is textbook war propaganda, and of course Trump is hardly the first person to use it. By some kind of moral alchemy, these televised moments transfer the soldier's nobility onto the war itself, and onto the commander in chief.

The form of the argument is at least coherent: how unjust could the war be if such an admirable and honorable soldier is giving up his life for it?

But if all the pundits who praised Donald Trump didn't just go into a trance en masse to accept that logic, then why did all of you, every single one of you except for me it would seem, just have collective amnesia and forget what Trump said about John McCain barely one year ago?

Donald Trump: John McCain "not a war hero," "He's a 'war hero' because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured."

So now that you remember what he said about John McCain for getting captured, do you really think Donald Trump just genuinely honored the soldier who died in a raid he ordered earlier this year, or was he using him for political gain?

And isn't it weird how everybody forgot about Trump's McCain remarks so easily?

This mass amnesia is evidence that something irrational is going on here with this televised moment and the conversation about it. That irrational thing is war frenzy.

The Media Is Going to Get People Killed

CNN contributor and Democrat, Van Jones gushed effusively over Trump's show this week:

"There was one moment in President Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night that people will remember for a very long time.

...what he proved last night — and for one night at least — is that he is capable of growth, capable of harnessing the powers of the presidency to work for him."

It's telling that after a sustained attack by the mainstream media on Trump for more than a year, for everything from wanting to repeal ObamaCare to caring too much what people are tweeting about him, the first time these people warm up to Trump, it's for getting an American soldier killed.

If one dead American service member won him this much praise, just imagine how much they’ll respect him when he kills a couple hundred—or a couple thousand!"

What you just saw your press corp do this week was beat the war drum and encourage the president to start another war. They are either viciously bloodthirsty or damnably foolish!

Listen, you've said you want to make a difference in the world. You've said now you're scared that things are going to fall apart and become much worse and you don't want that to happen.

Here's your chance to potentially save hundreds, thousands, or even tens or hundreds of thousands of human lives. Read the rest of this article in its entirety (it's very short, cuttingly insightful, and deadly serious)... and share it!

Not with your friends on Facebook (sure if you want)... share it with major media figures via email and tweet it at them. Especially ones who have praised Donald Trump for this. If they get even a dozen of messages like this, it'll get their attention and maybe wake some of them up from the deadly trance they're in.

Make it your mission through the end of this week to become part of a small but effective campaign to cool down the rhetoric and the beat of the war drums.